Mixed political reaction to IAS officer Khemka's latest transfer order controversy

Political leaders have reacted differently to the latest transfer order handed to senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Haryan cadre Ashok Khemka.

While some blamed the state government for being vindictive and unfair to Khemka, others described as a routine matter.

Khemka has been in the news since the end of last year for cancelling a DLF land deal of Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

"The manner in which he (Khemka) is being harassed for exposing the first family (Gandhi family) and someone closely connected to that family (Robert Vadra) is definitely a cause for worry and exposes the dictatorial mentality of the Congress (India's ruling Congress,)" said BJP vice-president Muktar Abbas Naqvi.

Congress spokesperson, Meem Afzal said: "At the time of elections, officers are deployed in large numbers and I believe that this is just a routine transfer, which is not a problem at all."

Government officials should not be harassed by such purposeless transfers, said Janata Dal-United general secretary K. C.Tyagi.

"The Supreme Court has passed an order in which the executive has been asked to prepare a tribunal for government officers and for their transfers. I hope that such a proposal would be presented in the present parliament session, and we will back this proposal. Government officials should not be harassed or discriminated againstwithout any valid reason," Khemka said.

Khemka, an IAS officer of the 1991 batch has been transferred several times in his career so far. He was in news last October for canceling the mutation of Robert Vadra's DLF Land deal. He is also known to have claimed other government wrong doings in various land deals in Haryana.

On October 31 this year, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre and state governments to set a fixed tenure for the bureaucrats who were often prone to frequent transfers, insulating them from political interference.